In this reading journal I will post the contents of and my thoughts on any books I read, regardless of whether or not I liked it or even finished it.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

THE BEST BOOK IN THE WORLD

TITLE: THE BEST BOOK IN THE WORLD

AUTHOR: PETER STJERNSTRÖM

Pages: 293

Date: 28/09/2013

Grade: 4

Details: Received from Hesperus Press Ltd

Through Nudge

Own

Let’s start this review at the very beginning, with a
look at the title. It is an incredibly smart title for a book of course. I dare
any reader to stumble upon this book somewhere and not take a closer look at it
out of pure curiosity. How could you possibly not investigate a book with a
title like this? A title like “The Best
Book in the World” warrants a closer look at the blurb at the very least.
And what makes this title extra clever is that the label does describe the
contents exactly. This is a book about the best book in the world.

During a literary festival two authors get drunk together.
One is the young, popular, successful and charming poet Eddie X. The other,
Titus Jensen is older. He has a successful career as an author of literary
fiction behind him and now spends his time, mostly drunk, reading outrageous
passages from obscure books at festivals. Titus is well on his way to becoming
a washed-out has been. During their drunken conversation Titus comes up with the
idea of writing a genre-transcending book:

“A single book that is all the other books at the same time.”

Titus Jensen knows that The Best Book in the World is
his last chance. If he can’t write it he’ll be an alcoholic has been for the
rest of his life. If he can’t sober up now he’ll never be a serious writer
again but be condemned to making a fool of himself at festivals forever.

Despite this idea having sprung from a very
intoxicated mind, Titus enlists his publishers’ assistance, and proceeds on a
very strict writing regime. His life style is changed, alcohol banned and his
writing monitored. And much to everybody surprise Titus makes great progress
with his project about:

“an overweight and charismatic detective
chief inspector who has cracked an important slimming code and will change the
world’s view of leadership. On top of that, he has a polished serial killer, a
frightfully tasty pizza and the best artist in the world throughout the ages,
his soul mate Salvador
Dali.”

But, as Titus writing goes from strength to strength
he can’t help worrying about Eddie X. He told the young poet about his idea and
he is convinced that Eddie is not only working on a similar project but also
trying to get his hands on Titus’ work in progress. And that is a very worrying
prospect because:

“The best book in the world can give eternal life. But only to one of
them.”

The race is on!

In many ways this is a very clever book. In order to
write a book about an author who tries to write a book that encompasses
several, if not all, genres Peter Stjernström had to write a book that covers
several different genres. So, while we have a fascinating and at times very
funny novel to enjoy here, we also get a lot of non fictional information about
pizza, art, Sweden,
and writing, among other topics. And for the most part the balance between
story-line and other information is very well struck and fits the story
perfectly. The one thing I was less happy about was the final part of the book.
It is only a few pages long but manages to put everything that has gone before
on its head. I can’t help feeling that Stjernström was trying to be a bit too
clever there and am convinced that this book would have been as good, if not
better, if that last part had been left out.

Those last few pages not withstanding, this was a very
enjoyable and anything but predictable read. And while a book that holds so
many different facets might sound like hard work for the reader, this is in
fact a surprisingly easy to read story. The narrative flows nicely, factual
insertions never take the pace out of the story and although there is an awful
lot going on - there isn’t a dull moment in this book = the story-line is easy
to follow, until you get to those last few pages.

There is a lot to be found in this book for those who
pay attention, with a recipe for the perfect pizza as one of the highlights.
The writer doesn’t shy away from kicking a few hobby horses while he’s at it.
The publishing industry is given a closer look and a not too subtle dig at
Paulo Coelho may well offend some of his numerous fans. And I can’t help
wondering – with a big grin on my face - how many authors, like Titus in this
book, have wished they could put something like the following in their
foreword:

“…and now I demand of you, you pathetic clown of a reviewer, that you
read this magnificent book with the most open attitude that your withered and
poisoned brain is capable of. May you burn in hell if you are incapable of
appreciating the magnificence of this innovative work of literature.”

This may not be the best book in the world; it
definitely is a very original and enjoyable way to spend a few of your reading
hours.

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About Me

My name is Marleen. I'm Dutch but have been living in Ireland for well over 15 years now. I have a passion and love for reading and books. Since early 2008 I have been lucky enough to have been working part time in the library in Bailieborough, Co. Cavan where among other things I run the library reading group.
I will read almost anything that has words in it, and post my thoughts on everything I read in this blog:

Review Disclaimer

In this blog I write my thoughts on every book I read. Some I will have brought home from the library, some will have been bought while others will have been sent to me for review. I do not get paid for reading and reviewing any books and all opinions are mine and mine alone. Whether a book was borrowed, bought or received will be indicated at the top of every review.

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